Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 34
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 7846
[The expression north corner of the house once bother- ed me, because there are two north corners, northeast and northwest, inside and out. The following rite will show that corner and side can sometimes mean the same thing.] Dat graveyard dust, jes' put it in de cornah of de house. Dat will atchly [actually] make 'em move. Dat's a known thing.
(What corner do you put it in, any corner?)
No suh, in de no'th side.
Entry 7847
Den yo' kin git some graveyard dust an' put it in de no'th side of de house an' yo' kin make 'em leave in dat way.
Entry 7848
Ah git me a li'le graveyard dirt an' ah take dat graveyard dirt an bring it back an' bury it, some of it. Take some an' put it in a vial an' put it in de no'th cornah of yore house an' den yo' see, whosomevah yo' put dat in dere fo', well see, quite nätchel [natural], if yo' love 'em or if yo' don' love 'em. If yo' hate 'um, dey won' stay 'bout chew; if it's fer dem, dey'll come tuh yuh. (Where would you bury that graveyard dirt?) Bury it [loose por- tion] undah de no'th end of de steps, an' put de othah [vial portion] in de no'th corner of yore house.
Entry 7849
Lak dey wanted tuh trick yo' or wanted tuh put sompin in yo' [poison you], well, dey go tuh de graveyard yo' see, an' git graveyard dust. Den dey take dat graveyard dust an' put some red peppah in it, an' sew it up, an' walk in de no'th cornah of dat house an' hide it; but dey have tuh put it in between somepin dat it Wouldn't be seen. An' den when dey walk, dey walk backwards wit dere face tuh de wall of dat house till dey got tuh de centah of de do'. When dey got tuh de centah of de do', dey turn aroun' an' walk on. An' wit'in a short while dat dust, why it will eithah draw yo' or send yo'.
(According to what you want done.)
Yessuh, jes' 'cordin' tuh what chew want done. If yo' want it tuh draw yo', den yo' turn aroun', see. If yo' want it tuh send yo', yo' walk backwards. An' when yo' turn, don' turn tuh de right, but tuh de left.
Entry 7850
Af' choo bear [bury] it [graveyard dirt], yo' walk ove' [over] dat, dat'll give yo' a pain. Well, dat'll make yuh feet swell up. Some time yo'll fall down dey [= dere = there], yo' cain't git up wit'out somebody help yuh up. [To bury graveyard dirt for an intended victim to walk over is one of the commonest rites in hoodoo. Examples in various combinations and for a variety of purposes are given else- where.]
Entry 7851
Yo' go an' git graveyard dirt an' put it in a pillahcase on dere [your] husband baid [and let him sleep on it] an' if he workin' [has a job] he won't, he can't open dat [pay] envelope until he brings the whole thing home.
Entry 7852
Git fo' fat lightah splintahs. Trim 'em off an' make a peg out of 'em two tuh de haid an' two tuh de feet [of the grave] an' put in de middle [of grave] de name or de hat. Place it or eithah de linin' from de hat or eithah de brim of de hat, jes' so it's de scents of de body, an' bury it right intuh de grave. (You bury it right into the grave.) Yes, an' dat would take a deeply 'fect. Dat of co'se will - ah've always find dat tuh put dem in de grave, mahself. Yo're worried, jes' have yuh worried an' grieved. An' jes' worry yo' ownself tuh death. (Well, why do you use those four splinters? Is there any purpose in using those?) Yes sir, dere's a purpose of usin' dose, becuz dat is pinnin' [pinning]. Jes' lak yo' take a nail an' nail a board on a wall [pin or nail a board to the wall]. Well, when yo' use dose an' put de person's 'fect [= effects = good or personal propertyl, de hat or somepin, in de grave an' pin dose pegs, dat is pinnin' 'em down.
Entry 7853
If you want a girl to love you, go in agrave- yard at twelve to one o'clock that night. And you get a handful of graveyard dirt and sneak it in your girl's pocket, and she'll always love you. [Deal Island, Md.,. (114), 33:5.]
Entry 7855
(What was that?)
Graveyard dust. Dey say dey kin go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' take it an' use it. Keep it in dere pocketbook or prob'ly tie it up in a li'le rag, or prob'ly put it in a can in dere house. An' dat will bring good luck tuh home. Well now, whethah it's so, now ah don't know.
Entry 7856
Say fer instance, if ah wanted tuh keep de law away, ah would take potash - take dis ole potash an' ah would take an' place it undah yuh steps, an' ah'd [I would] place dis ole potash up undah yuh step an' ah'd put graveyard dust intuh dis potash, an' yo' wouldn't have no trouble wit no police. Not comin' tuh yuh house, if yo' wanted dem tuh stay away.
Entry 7857
If ah wus tuh go tuh de cemetery an' gathah some dust, graveyard dirt as we call it, an' come when dey are not suspectin' an' sprinkle it ovah de po'ch. (What will that do then?) Well, dat would, yo' know whut ah mean, corrupt de minds of de persons dat lives in dat place. An' it won't be long befo' dey leave dere.
(That will make them move out.)
Dey'll move.
Entry 7858
Yo' go, if yo' know a person dat die bad, yo' go tuh de grave an' jes' run yuh han' about dat deep in de grave an' git some of de dirt. An' if yo' want a person tuh leave from 'way round yo', throw it on de po'ch. Dey'll be gone. [For an interesting little story about this driving-out-of-a-house rite, see one from Wilmington, N. Car., No.1629, p.506.]
Entry 7859
Ah've heard of about graveyard dirt. If yo' wuz in love wit a man an' he wuz goin' tuh a place dat chew didn't want 'im tuh go, an' come tuh see yuh, yo' kin take graveyard dirt an' go tuh dis lady's house an' sprinkle it on de porch, front do', as much as yo' kin. Dat'll stop 'im from goin' dere. AN' AH HAVE TRIED DAT AN' DAT'S TRUE.
Entry 7860
I have heard that people go to the graveyard and get fresh dirt from a corpse lately died, and they will come to your home and sprinkle it on your porch or anywhere where you will have to cross, and you will begin to linger sick.
Entry 7861
Take graveyard dirt an' spidahs an' eggshell an' dis stuff yo' call quicksil- vah, an' put it tuhgethah an' put it in person pump where dey pump. An' dey drink dat watah an' it will kill 'em. De ole people [in the country] uses pumps. Yo' put it in dere an' it kill 'em. [Somewhere we have a rite about quicksilver drying up a pond.]
Entry 7862
An' de left-hin' foot of a graveyard rabbit is lucky.
(Lucky for what?)
Well, mos' anything, yo' know, any an' evah'thing.
(What is a graveyard rabbit?)
Well, now ah couldn't explain whut a graveyard rabbit [is], only a rabbit jes' stay in de graveyard all de time. [There are not many graveyard rabbits in Hoodoo. I suspect that he was largely developed by come- dians. Perhaps some help came from writers of hoodoo manuals. Somehow, except that he lives or runs through a graveyard and has a lucky left-hind foot, he is not especially interesting. Of course he can be a witch in disguise, but so can a pig or a dog and other ani- mals.]
Entry 7863
Dey git graveyard dirt an' sew it up in a li'le piece of red flannen an' wet it fo' nine mawnin's wit Hearts Cologne an' weah it in yore pocket. Dat brings yo' luck in gamblin' an' on dese [playing] cards.
Entry 7864
Take graveyard dirt an' red peppah. Jes' lak if yo' seen somebody yo' hated, why yo' go where yo' think dey walk at in de mawnin'. Go 'fore sun [before sunrise] in de mawnin' Where dey git up an' walk ovah it. Sprinkle it roun' in de yard yo' see, an' den dey'll walk ovah it. Yo' kin fix dem lak dat.
(What will that do to them?)
Well, sometimes it will give dem - dere feet will swell up or dere laigs or somepin lak dat, an' dey can't git it off dem until dey go tuh some root person or somepin lak dat.
Entry 7865
Take de cayenne peppah an' mix wit de graveyard dirt, an' if de person valk ovah it, dey have a burnin' in dey feet, she tole me.
Entry 7866
Well, ah've heard some of 'em say dat yo' could take a penny an' go tuh de cemetery, an' say one or two words an' [say to] jes' de person in de cemetery dat chew want 'em tuh work fo' yo'. An' yo' git a li'le bit of dat dirt an' come back home, an' take yo' some red peppah an' sulphuh an' put it in a sack, an' stick it undah- neat' de house. An' it supposed tuh move 'em in nine days.
Entry 7867
It is not like ordinary dirt. Most graveyard dirt is reddish clay. You can go to any grave, you see clay, and it'll be reddish clay. If it looks black on top it's red down beneath. All hoodoos use it. You've got to go to the graveyard before midnight. That's an unlucky hour, be- cause then all the spirits is risen and around them.
Entry 7868
Yo' kin go tuh de graveyard, but it gotta be a certain time; late at night, ah think now, ah dunno. An' yo' go down intuh de middle of de grave, run yore hand down in dere jes' as fer as yo' kin in de middle of dat grave. Yo' bring out some of dat dust, jes' a small amount, don't have tuh have very much of it. An' yo' go back home an' yo' take dis table salt an' mix in wit it. An' lak if yo' wanta come in possession of sompin othah, or Want somebody tuh do sompin dat yo' desire 'em tuh do, take dat dust an' dat table salt an' go an' place it - place it where dey will pass ovah it.
Entry 7869
Dey could take dat an' make de person do as dey want 'em tuh do.
(How would they do that?)
Dey would go git de graveyard dirt an' dey mix some wit table salt, put it in yore pocket, an' go on talk wit 'im an' he will give yuh a job.
(Don't you have to do anything with that salt at all?)
No sir.
Entry 7870
Take some graveyard dirt, a li'le bit of it an' a li'le bit of salt, an' eithah sprinkle it roun' de house or eithah 'neath de house. An' dat'll make him leave or eithah have a fight. [Florence, S. Car. (1323), 2268:4.]
The informant describes graveyard dirt mixed with salt and reports departure or fighting as alternatives; the account does not establish an observed effect.
Entry 7871
Go tuh de graveyard an' git some graveyard dirt an' bring it back home an' put salt in it, an' sprinkle it all roun' yore do' an' yo'd have tuh go.
(That will drive them away?)
Yassuh.
The informant's description, the interviewer's question about driving people away, and the informant's confirmation remain separate parts of the exchange.
Entry 7873
Dey kin git jis' some plain bakin' soda wit salt, an' use dat wit a li'le graveyard dirt, an' dat will usely [usually] run a person away. (How would they use that?) Well, yo' use it - jis' take de salt an' de bakin' powdah [soda?] an' graveyard dust, make it in a bag an' hang it by dere do' where dey have tuh pass in an' out, an' dat will cuz dem tuh be wondahin' [wandering] from den on. (You just hang it near their door, where they'd have to pass under.)
Entry 7874
Yo' want sompin fo' luck or sompin lak dat, take some graveyard dirt. Depend on how much yo' want. Now, yo' don' wanta make a plastah of graveyard dirt fo' no sickness or nuthin. Yo' take a tablespoonful of graveyard dirt an' a tablespoonful of salt an' git chew some bluestone. An' mix dis up in a quart bottle an' use it in 'er room or in a hall where it's private. Now lak if it in yore room, use it in yore room. But yo' gotta git out an' use some out dere too an' not let 'em know nuthin about it.
(What do you do with that after you put it in that bottle?)
Shake it up an' use it jes' lak yo' would perfume, yo' see - jes' lak yo' do perfume. Yo' kin use it on yo'self, go tuh baid an' use it.
[To shake it up, a magic rite, excites the spirit in the bottle to action.]
(What will that do?)
Make him love her, git all de money she wants.
Entry 7875
Well, ah've heard 'em say dat dey go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt an' bring it back an' git some salt an' peppah an' mix dem wit it. An' come tuh yore house an' have it fixed so dat dey would throw it from yore front do' to de back an' drop a bag of it up undah yore steps, or eithah slip back up dere at night an' bury it up undah yore steps. Dat'll make dem move.
(You say you take this from the front door?)
Yes, where dey come in from de front an' sprinkle it all de way up de steps as dey come. An' have it fixed so dey have dere han' in dere pocket an' have a hole in dere pocket lak dat an' have it so dat it'll be siftin' out as yo' be goin' on. [Hole in the pocket is a coumon trick.] Git up an' ast 'em fo watah, an yo' go on, yo' know wit yore han' in de pocket an' drink de watah. An' go tuh de back do' an' walk out on de po'ch an' sprinkle it, aftah yo' got de watah, aftah yo' done got through drinkin".
(They must take it all through the house?)
Yes, take it all de way through de house.
Entry 7876
If dey go tuh de graveyard an' git some dirt, an' yo' go tuh somebody an' in some way git holt of dis dirt, an' take it an' carry an' put some salt an' peppah [black?] in it. An' den take it an' bury it undahneath dere do'step, de same thing will turn back on dem.
[This is a method for returning the spell.]
(You bury this under the back doorstep?)
Dat's it. [This informant, a note tells me, was a rapid talker.]
Entry 7877
Ah heard 'em say sompin 'bout - some people say dey take graveyard dirt an' salt an' peppah an' all lak dat stuff, yo' know. Well, dey say - ah don' know how dey fix it all, but dey mix it tuhgethah an' throw it up on dere house an' all lak dat. But whethah it is true, ah don' know.
(That is supposed to make you move out?)
Yes.
The informant reports hearsay and explicitly does not know how the mixture is prepared or whether the claim is true. The interviewer's question concerns the supposed departure effect; the answer does not remove the stated uncertainty.
Entry 7878
If dere anybody in yore house an' yo' wanta git dem out an' yo' ast dem tuh git out an' dey wouldn't git out. Well, yo' jis' take yo' some graveyard dirt an' red peppah an' salt an' burn it all. An' make a good fiah an' put it right up on top of de stove, an' let it burn an' don't have no mo' worry den. Git dem away.
Entry 7879
He'll go to de graveyard an' he'll dig down in dat graveyard an' git some of dat dirt off de daid person, see. An' he'll mix salt, red peppah, mix it an' use it; throw it all in front of dat man place [of business] in de night aftah twelve or one a'clock. An' dat'll make de people [customers] slack up from goin'; dat'll stop de people, dat spirit. WHEN YO' [A CUSTOMER] GIT DARE A'HAVE A MIND TO GO IN DARE, ANOTHAH SPIRIT - A DAID SPIRIT - WILL JIS' WORRY UP WIT YORE LIVIN' SPIRIT AN' KEEP YO' OUT OF DARE AN' YO'LL JIS' PASS ON BY DAT FLACE. An' de place done contend [commence] tuh gittin' dullah an' dullah, an' so he [proprieter] must leave an' somebody else got dat place.
The informant describes graveyard dirt with salt and red pepper in a business-departure account. Uppercase speech remains distinct from the bracketed editorial identifications and glosses; the spirit explanation and claimed result remain source-reported.
Entry 7880
Go tuh de cemetery an' git some graveyard dirt an' put in both shoes unbeknownst tuh him - put it in dere. Git some red peppah an' salt a an' sprinkle it in both of yuh [his] shoes an' he won't be dere no mo' den about tro or fo' hours, an' he will have tuh go.
(That is to drive a person away from the house?)
Away from yore house.
The informant describes cemetery dirt in shoes and a separate pepper-and-salt treatment to drive someone from a house. The interviewer identifies that purpose; the bracketed pronoun is editorial. The reported departure and timing remain the informant's claims.
Entry 7881
Dey could send yo' away wit graveyard dust. Git some cayenne peppah dat hasn't been used an' fresh table salt an' mix it wit graveyard dust, an' make a wish an' throw it de Way yo' live. Dat'll run yo' away.
Entry 7882
Yo' may take graveyard dirt an' go tuh someone's house dat chew don' lak, an' take cayenne peppah, black peppah an' table salt, an' run people from home. (What would you do with this powder and all this mixture then?) Mix it all up tuhgethah an' throw it aroun' de house an' throw it up on de po'ch, or carry it in de house if yo' kin git it in there, an' dey will leave.
The informant names graveyard dirt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and table salt in a mixture placed around, on or conditionally inside a house. Departure is reported by the informant; the interviewer asks about placement.
Entry 7883
Or eithah yo' go tuh a graveyard late at night an' stick yuh arm as far down in de fresh grave as yo' kin, an' git some of dat graveyard dirt out. Well [rooster crows] yo' git back, take it, bluestone, salt, red peppah an' mix it tuhgethah, an' put it undah de cornah of a person house. Dey'll fuss an' fight all de time until yo' git dat removed. When yo' git dat away from dere, den dey quits fussin' an' fightin'. Dey don't fuss an' fight no more. But long as dat dere an' dey don't know where it is, dey goin' tuh fuss an' fight an' kill one anothah maybe, all de time. Yo' gotta git somebody dat knows [what to do - a hoodoo doctor.]
The informant describes fresh-grave dirt mixed with bluestone, salt and red pepper beneath a house corner, with reported conflict while it remains and relief on removal. The rooster interruption and final explanation of someone who knows what to do are editorial context.
Entry 7884
Ah heard dey kin take graveyard dirt wit salt, Epsom salts, cayenne peppah an' sprinkle it undahneat' de do'steps, or git a chance tuh git in de house an' sprinkle it roun' close places in de house.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat will make 'em move.
(They use both cooking salt and Epsom Salt, too?)
[I wanted to be certain informant did not say salt twice.]
All tuhgethah, an' graveyard dirt.
Entry 7885
Go tuh a graveyard an' git graveyard dirt an' mix salt wit it an' whut's dis dey call some kinda sulphur.
(Sulphur?)
An' jes' sprinkle it round in de house and sprinkle it de way dey want chew tuh go. Sprinkle it all de way through de house. Well, dey gits chure track an' take it an' wrap it up in somepin - a cloth - put graveyard dirt wit it an' if dey goin' down to runnin' watah, throw it down in runnin' watah. (These are two different ways of making you move?) Yes. An' dey take an aig an' write chure name on de side of it an' throw it cross yore house an' break it: if it breaks cross dere, yo' gotta move; if it don't yo' git sick. If somebody [root man] don't do somepin fo' yo', yo' liable tuh die.
The informant reports two dirt-related ways to make someone move: a graveyard-dirt mixture scattered in a house, and a track wrapped with graveyard dirt and cast into running water. A subsequent named-egg rite is separate and does not establish dirt use there. Departure, illness and death remain reported claims.
Entry 7886
Yo' go tuh somebody's graveyard [private cemetery on a farm] an' jes' lak dey got somebody down dere, lak yore name is Jane or John or sompin, say, "Well, dere some people's [people is] givin' me trouble an' ah don't know whut could ah do tuh make 'em go 'way." An' reach down in dere an' git some graveyard dirt an' go right back tuh de house. An' put some salt an' sulphur wit it, an' tie it up an' put it right undah de do'steps. An' when yo' go an' put it undah dere, says, "Go, yo' son of a bitch." An' dat John, he'll worry dat house so, he come down de stairs, got a ball an' chains an' buckles an' evahthin', jes' causin' a rattlin', an' dem folks will move.
The informant gives a conditional account with prescribed addresses, not a record of a particular invocation. The bracketed farm-cemetery and grammar explanations are editorial; the rattling and departure remain source-reported.
Entry 7887
Yo' kin take dat [graveyard dirt] an' put hit wit sulphah an' salt, black sut [soot] out de chimley [chimney] an' take it an' walk by a person dō nine nights, an' if dey don' see yuh [sprinkling this mix- turel, ah guarantee yuh aftah nine nights, de twelf' night dey move. Sprinkle it down.
“Graveyard dirt,” “soot” and “chimney” are bracketed editorial identifications. A later gloss is damaged in the printed text; the nine-night and twelfth-night conditions remain visible.
Entry 7888
Saltpetah - yo' take saltpetah an' beat it up fine, an' if yo' kin use some of dis graveyard dirt, tuh sprinkle in de do'way, see, where dey kin see it each mawnin', mo' lakly [likely] dat person will move from de house.
Entry 7889
Dey tell me yo' take an' git yuh sock, an' dere's somepin or othah yo' kin do an' run yo' crazy. Dey take dat sock an' dey git some graveyard dirt. An'. if dey want, dey kin git - choo know, dere's a scorpion in de woods dey call de wood- bitch. Yo' kin git 'im an' cut 'is haid off an' let it dry. When 'is haid been dried, come an' powdah dat up. Yo' take dat [wood-bitch powder] an' take dat graveyard dirt an' mix it [and put it in or on the sock] yo' see. An' yo' take dat [sock] an' yo' kin care [carry] it on de nō'theast side of a pine tree. Yo' bear [bury] it down dere an' drive a stäve down in it, yo' see [demonstrates].
(Hit an imaginary stäve or stake 6 times.)
Dat settles it. [This is one of many mock burials. The victim if unnamed is always intended by name. Here the victim is buried in the shade of a pine tree, so that he will gradually pine away. North instead of northeast side would probably have meant a quicker death.]
Entry 7890
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in a glass an' set it ovah dere man- telpiece fer seven days, an' aftah [that] yo' turn it undah de bottom of yo' steps see. An' dey says dey kin harm yo' lak dat.
(Well now who gets this graveyard dirt? The person that is trying to harmyou?)
Yes.
(All right, do I put the graveyard dirt on your mantle then?)
Dat's whut ah'm speaking about.
(And then put it under your step.)
Put it undah mah step.
(Well, you would see it on the mantle, wouldn't you?)
Sometimes yo' bury dat.
The informant describes graveyard dirt in a glass on a mantel for seven days, then beneath steps, and attributes harm to what people say. The interviewer supplies the proposed victim perspective in several questions; the informant also mentions burial. The bracketed time completion is editorial.
Entry 7891
Take dat graveyard dirt an' put dat graveyard dirt in a li'le bag an' sew it up. An' den dey'll, yo' know, dey put dis in a, yo' know, put some in - [if] dey kin git tuh yo', dey put some of dat grave- yard dirt in yuh shoe, put it in de shoe. Well, dat run yo' crazy.
Entry 7892
Said dey kin take an' git some dirt from de graveyard, an' if dey kin git one of yuh shoes an' put some of dat in it, dey kin hurt choo lak dat; make yo' cripple or lame or somepin lak dat.
The informant reports what others are said to do with dirt from a graveyard and a shoe. The injury claim remains reported rather than independently established.
Entry 7893
Dey kin take yuh shoes an' dey kin break yo' out wit sores.
(How do they do that?)
Well, dey go tuh de graveyard an' dey git de dead dust - not graveyard dust - like here de grave an' dey send dat pipe down intuh de grave 'till it hits - till dey git, till de pipe gits full wit dat dust. [See piece of cane driven into grave, No.7812. p.3364.1 Dey takes dat dust an' use immaterial [material] from dat very grave, but evahwhere dat dust go on your feet, dat breaks yo' wit sores.
Entry 7894
Take yuh shoes an' put graveyard dirt in 'em an' go ahead ovah de rivah, de left-foot shoe. De right-foot shoe don' 'mount tuh nuthin. It's de left-foot shoe.
(What will that do then?)
Well, yo' jis' drifts away. (Sends them away.) [That expression ovah de rivah in New Orleans means across the river in Algiers, the west bank of the Mississippi, in Algiers it means across the river in New Orleans. Here the words apparently mean send you away.]
Entry 7895
Weah dat in yo' shoe.
(This graveyard dirt.)
Yes sir.
(What do you do that for?)
Well, dey weahs dat in dey right shoe an' dis will drive yo' outa town, too. Ag'in, undahstand, dey weahs it in dey right shoe an' den dey will take dis dirt, when dey weah it fo' nine mawnin's ag'in, an' dey goin' take dat dirt, an' when dey ketch chew, when dey thresh [whip] yo' an' ketch yo' [catch you and whip you], den dey buries it or throw dat dirt ovah dere left shouldah.
(That drives you out of town?)
Yes, throw it cross yore left shouldah.
Entry 7896
Ah have learnt dat dey kin take yuh shoes an' carry 'em tuh de grave- yard an' put 'em in, turn 'em east an' west an' bury 'um, an' yo' die.
(They bury one east and bury one west?) Yes.
Entry 7897
Well, dey take de shoes an' dey git some graveyard dirt an' quicksilvah an' chip [stir or mix] it up tuhgethah, an' sprinkles it in dey shoes an' dat'll make 'em walk away. Ah've heard dat. A fellah tole me dey done him dataway an' he walked away.
Entry 7898
Dress de shoes wit grave- yard dust an' quicksilvah an' gunpowdah. (What will that do?) Dress yo' shoe. (Why?) Oh, dat'll make yo' leave, jes' keep yo' always on de go.
Entry 7899
Well, graveyard dirt - yo' jis' take graveyard dirt an' yo' take it up, an' jis' put chew some salt in dere, an' jis' git chew a li'le nail, jis' a li'le nail, not nuthin tuh hurt, jis' a li'le nail wit dis graveyard dirt. An' yo' put it inside of de stove an' den yo' let it [graveyard dirt and salt] git hard, jis' hard. An' den yo' jis' powdah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. [The nail of course does not powder, it merely being a magic object completing 3 ingredients.] Dat makes yo' lucky. Git hard lak a powdah an' den jis' weah it in de bottom of yuh shoe. Jis' sprinkle it [in your shoe]. An' den sometime yo' put talcum powdah wit it.
(What do you put talcum powder in it for?)
Well, dat makes it lucky.
(How do you get the talcum powder?)
How git it? Buy it. [A good answer!]
Entry 7900
Yo' take lak yo' got on yore shoes an' yo' pull yore shoes off. Dey kin git some of dat graveyard dirt an' sulphuh an' sprinkle in yore shoes. Wal, dat'll put chew in trouble. Dat all dat'll do. Put chew in jail, keep yo' in jail all de time. Put chew in hard luck. Dat's de way dat do's.
Entry 7901
Git chew - git nine or ten grains of fresh graveyard dirt an' fix it up wit garlic an' a piece of silvah, a dime. An' take de silvah dime an' scrape it. Scrape some of de silvah in wit dis sand an' a piece of garlic an' tie it up an' weah it. [This hand has 3 ingredients.] Dat's luck. (Luck for what?) Well, it's lak yo' got someone dat chew lak an' she don't care much about chew, yo' weah dat. Dat's suppose [to] be luck.
(You take ten grains you say?)
Yassuh, nine or ten grains.[ Brunswick, Ga., (1182), 1992:9.]
Entry 7902
Take de graveyard dirt an' put it in yo' pillah or eithah in yuh mat- tress, an' sleep on dat nine days. Yo' jes' go away - yo' know, jes' fall off an' git po' [poor] an' po' until yo' jes' go 'way an' die. Dat'll kill yo'. (After nine days.)
Entry 7903
Jes' lak ah told yo' 'bout de [grave- yard] dirt. Dey put dat in it or dey put de salt in dat sock, dat dirty sock, an' dey'll also bury it. An' dat also will keep yo' away, a wife from goin' off anywhere.
Entry 7904
Yo' take graveyard dirt an' put in one of 'is sock, de right sock, see. He be runnin' out [away from home] an' see, if yo' throw dat ovah de house - lak ah were de woman, dat ah an' mah husband live in [the house] see. In othah words, when he came back in de house. ovah mah, where hit [the sock] tetch de ground at. he wouldn't wanta go back out dere [away from me]. When he come in he be crazy about de house an' don' wanta go anywhere, wanta stay home most of de time.
Entry 7905
[Before I turned on my recording machine I had asked about spitting.l Dey take dat yo' know [I interrupt]. (This saliva.) Yeah, dey took dat an' fixed it up an' call it by name, an' put dat wit a li'le red peppah. An' take dat an' bury dat at de feet of de - anywheres dere's a corpse, a dead body in de grave. An' dat cuz yo' tuh suffah a stroke. An' it cut de speech, too, yo' know; an' yo' kin drivel up.
Entry 7906
Ah heard of people say, if yo' go tuh de grave- yard twelve o'clock night an' git some dirt out de graveyard, an' mix it wit sulphuh an' throw it onto a pusson's porch - any place where dey got tuh step ovah it - [this is] somepin tuh do 'em harm.
Entry 7907
Dey put some graveyard dirt undah her steps, an' some sulphuh, an' she caught it in 'er laigs an' de laigs swolled up - all both her laigs - jes' lak de dropsy. An' she took dis dime an' file some of de silvah off an' taken de [silver] tea an' drank it [as a cure]. [Sulphur a symbol for the devil and hell, and the death symbol graveyard dirt, these two combined would cause almost any- thing!]
Entry 7908
If yo' want a job, when yo' git ready fo' dis job, yo' go an' git chew some sulphuh an' git chew some dirt from de graveyard. An' yo' - jes' lak yo' goin' tuh dis job - yo' git tuh de house, yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house. An' when yo' sprinkle dis roun' de house, den yo' could walk up on de do' an' knock at de do'. An' ask fo' de job an' yo' do dat fo' nine mawnin's, an' in de ninth mawnin' yo'll git dis job.
(You mean you sprinkle this in front of the boss' house or the job?)
Yes [at the home of the boss].
(All the way round the house?)
Not all de way roun' de house, jes' from de front. Lak dat's de cornah [demon- strates], from dere tuh de cornah of de house.
(Just to the front of the house?)
Yes.
Entry 7909
Also, yo' kin use dis graveyard dust an' start from de stairway dere an' jes' sprinkle it roun' de house an' git chure broom an' sweep it out, out behin' dem an' on out de walk. An' yo'll nevah be bothahed wit dem no mo'.
Entry 7910
Git some graveyard dirt an' sugah an' sweep it de way, out de do' behin' 'em, see, an' dey'll have tuh go. (You would be living in the house, though, wouldn't you? And to make another person go you would throw this behind them?)
[Behind him after he left so that he would not return.]
Yessuh.
Entry 7911
If you want to go to stealing, you go to the graveyard and get some dirt off of a fresh grave and go into a man's yard, barn, and take anything they want and the dogs won't bother them. That would be his night password. [Informant 8 years old when Civil War began in 1860.]
Entry 7912
When yo' wan'a steal chickens, when people have dogs, dey say, if yo' go tuh de graveyard an' yo' git de dirt, an' if yo' throw it on a dog, de dog will not bark. Now, whur- GRAVEYARD DIRT ON DOG - WILL NOT BARK thah it's de scent of de daid bodies in de earth, ah don' know but it aczhooly [actually] happened.
Entry 7913
Ah heah 'em speak of de graveyard dirt [demonstrates]. (Get the graveyard dirt - and what do they do with it? Rub it in their hands.) Rub it in dere hand an' when dey got tuh anybody's yard - don' care how bad de dog is - put de graveyard dirt an' rub it in dere hands an' rubs on de privates. Don' care how bad de dog is, jis' go dere an' [hold your] palm tuh de dog, an' de dog won' even bothah yo', jis' come dere an' lick yuh hands.
(The dog must smell your hands.)
He'd smell yuh hands from dat graveyard dirt and privates.
(Just the female dog's privates.)
Ah don' care how bad de dog is, de dog wouldn't bothah yo'.
Entry 7914
Well ah hear dem say dat if dey wanta go in anybody's house - lak any rich somebody - white people or somepin, dey wanta go in de house, an' dey'd have a bad dog or anything, dey wanta go in dere, dey git de haid stick, de stick whut's put at de haid of a grave, an' throw it undah de house. An' said dat vill put evahbody tuh sleep an' yo' kin go in de house an' git anything. [For beliefs similar to preceding ones about.theft, see Nos.7529-7530, p.3298f.]
Entry 7915
If yo' had a house yo' wanted tuh rent, take dis graveyard dirt ag'in. Yo' nevah will fail wit dis graveyard dirt. Yo' kin use a penny or else use silvah. SILVAH WORKS FASTAH den de othah. Well, yo' kin go tuh de graveyard ag'in an' put chure silvah money down dere an' tell it whut chew want, whut chew wanta git chure dirt fo'. But, prefah a baby's grave, an' git chure dirt an' come back. An' yore house has fo' cornahs tuh it. [Informant now points out the corners of my interviewing room.] Yo' put some in dat cornah an' den yo' say, In de Name of de Fathah, an' Mame of de Son, an' in de Name of de: Holy Ghost, ah want some luck brought intuh dis house. Ah want dis house rented. Ah want someone tuh occupy dis house. Put chew some dirt in dis [second] cornah, an' say de same thing in dat [third] cornah an' say de same thing at dat [fourth] cornah. An' den yo' say [it again] befo' yo' leave out [the house]. Yo' should have it in dere, scattah it all aboutdere, Jame of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost. An' den when yo' go out, jes' scattah it all down on de steps, an' den somebody will come an' rent it. [Fayetteville, N. Car., 2556:8.]
Entry 7916
Lak if anybody do anything tuh yuh an' yuh want 'em tuh move from dere, yuh git dat dirt an' yuh eithah throw it on de steps or on de porch or put it by de do'. Dey say yuh put it cross by de do' fō' three times. (They put it across for three times?) Make it cross by de dō' three tues an' dat person will have tuh move.
Entry 7917
Dey say yo' take graveyard dust an' sprinkle it around yore house three times in succession befo' leavin', an' dey say yo'll leave dere - yo' can't stay dere. [For a hazy statement like this one I normally would ask Who sprinkles? Who leaves? Probably I forgot to restart recording when questions began. This could be called a typical spite rite. To get even with the rentman, the departing renter on leav- ing for the last time throws back through the door 3 sprinkles of graveyard dirt. Whether vocally expressed or not, the departing person does this in the Three Holy Names! The next occupant will not be able to remain in the house.]
Entry 7918
If it's anyone aroun' here dat ah would lak fer 'em tuh move - ah want tuh move in de house or anything of de kind - ah kin go out tuh de cemetery an' git some dirt. Make three wishes, dat is, yo' know lak ah want dem tuh move an' stay away. Jis' throw it across de steps or in de hallway or in de porch, an' in three day's time dem people goin' tuh move.
(Move out of the house?)
Yes, sir. [Here 3 wishes replace the 3 Holy Names.]
Entry 7919
Yo' kin git dirt off a person grave, ah think it wus twelve days aftah yo' [they] put away [buried] an' yo' kin care [carry] it an' put it undah de person step where dey live at, an' yo' put 'em in a bad spell of sickness.
Entry 7920
Take de dirt off de grave an' take it at night, twelve a'clock. An' take it an' carry it tuh de do' an' put it at de foot of de steps. An' whosomevah in dere, what dey don't like, will run 'em crazy.
Entry 7921
Take chamber lye an' graveyard dirt an' mix it de same as ah jes' tole yo' while ago, an' jes' keep it all roun' de house. That will keep de law away. Dat chamber lye wit de graveyard dirt an' de peppah an' salt. ah wuz tellin yo' 'bout jes' awhile ago. (That will keep the law away?) Dat keeps de law away.
Entry 7922
(They did what?)
Jes' raisin' Cain around dere. Yo' could heah it, sompin lak somebody walkin'. It wus purely graveyard dirt 'cuz ah swept it out. Jes' gits chure mind, evah- thing tormented, 'cuz it's from de daid spirit, yo' know. [Raising Cain equals raising the devil or hell. Spirits walking or unseen footsteps is a common belief, see FACI 2nd ed., Nos.15541-15543, p.733.]
Entry 7923
Dey puts it in a cloth or anything an' wraps it up, an' yo'll have tuh pass backwards an' forwards ovah it.
(And then? What happens to you then?) Yo'll become tuh be sickly. (I see. You walk over this graveyard dirt.)
Yeah, an' it puts yo' in hard luck.
Entry 7924
I have heard of people giving graveyard dust. You throw it in running water. The person you want to go away or come back will come or go. You throw it over your right shoulder and don't look back but keep walking and have the person in mind.
Entry 7925
Dey tell me if yo' usin' a lavatory, especially a outside lavatory, dat yo' could jes' take a little bit of it an' go dere durin' de night an' sprinkle a little bit around de hole where yo' sit at.
(Sprinkle what around?)
Graveyard dirt.
(Around the lavatory?)
Aroun' de lavatory hole.
(And it will injure you, you say?)
Yes.